


Katana

by Cyriusli



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-12
Updated: 2015-11-12
Packaged: 2018-05-01 05:47:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5194469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyriusli/pseuds/Cyriusli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Strawhats end up at a spa island for Zoro's birthday, but instead of enjoying the spa like everyone else, the swordsman's mind is elsewhere.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shusui

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic for Zoro's birthday. While it's completely written, I haven't had a chance to fully edit the last two chapters. I wanted to get at least part of it out today. The rest of it will be out tomorrow.

For once Zoro was actually thankful when Nami demanded that they all had to disembark. And as reluctant as he was to agree with the redhead, this time he didn’t even think about arguing. They all needed time off the Sunny and this quiet neutral island was just as good a place as any. Apparently there was some sort of spa here or something hidden within the lush looking jungle as they drew close. He didn’t care much about that part, but the fact he’d be able to get some time to himself was more than welcome. There were bound to be places he could find that were quiet and he’d be able to meditate or just simply relax a little bit.

“Zoro!” Nami’s shrill voice caught his attention as he let the lid of the trunk with his things in it slam closed. “We are waiting on you!”

“Yeah yeah, hang on a second!” He called over his shoulder and out the open door before looking back down to the box in his hands. Maybe he’d even get a chance to clean his swords. Not that they needed it, he only did it a few days ago, but the chance to do it out in the middle of who-the-fuck-knows in the tranquility of the woods sounded almost too good to pass up.

“Nami-swan said to get your ass on deck you useless shitty swordsman!” The cook appeared in the door, snarling at him as smoke billowed from his mouth. Huffing, Zoro stuffed his box of cleaning supplies in his bag and turned for the door.

“Oh fuck off Swirly!” Zoro barked back at the blond, flipping him off as he passed by him onto the deck. “I needed to get a couple things.” He spoke to the rest of the crew on deck as they all watched him trot down the stairs. Behind him that idiot love cook was fuming. Perfect. A good start to any day was pissing him off.

With a wild cry from Luffy, the crew all but ran down the gangplank for the gravel path at the end of the small dock. There was room for maybe five or six ships but they were the only ones there at the moment. That was good news as well, less people to interact with and less chance of Luffy causing trouble. Well...more trouble. A few quiet days was really starting to sound better and better.

“Don’t go running off anywhere until we have rooms.” Nami was saying up ahead at the front of the group. She had a death grip on Luffy’s arm, glaring at him as he grinned like an idiot and pretty much ignored her every word.

Zoro let his hand drift to Shusui’s hilt as he walked calmly next to Usopp and Chopper, who were chatting excitedly. Both seemed over joyed at the chance to go out into the woods to look for bugs or some shit. That conversation was ended swiftly as soon as the cook caught wind of it and kicked their poor sniper in the back of the head.

Twisting his head back to look at Robin as she giggled from where she walked near Franky, her dark eyes met his. “We shall be staying for a few days, Zoro. I think this is most excellent timing, wouldn’t you agree?”

He furrowed his brows at her, pausing in his steps to wait for her and leaving the yelling match between cook and sniper behind. Chopper was wailing now as well and Luffy had caught wind of the conversation at ‘bugs’ and thought it was a great idea.

Robin looped her right arm around Zoro’s left elbow as Franky sighed. “I’m gonna go break that mess up. Come on Brook.” With a laugh from the skeleton, the two walked off ahead, leaving the swordsman with the archeologist.

“Timing for what?” He asked her with a grunt as they started walking again. Most times her being taller than him didn’t bother Zoro for one second, but today, combined with her higher than normal heeled boots, he almost felt like he was forgetting something and she was looking down upon him. And not in a literal sense either.

“My...have you forgotten?” She asked coyly, thin smile on her painted lips. Her brown eyes flashed excitedly for a moment before she patted his forearm with her other hand.

“Don’t play games with me Robin. I’m not that fool love cook.”

“I would never, Zoro.” She giggled again, glancing ahead of them to where Franky was literally holding the blond in question in one of his massive hands as he tried to kick at Luffy who was laughing hysterically.

Rolling his eye, Zoro looked over at Robin, twisting his entire head to the side. The crew always seemed to want to walk on that side of him now. It wasn’t intentional he didn’t think, a subconscious attempt at watching out for one another. Just like how usually it was either him and the cook near the back of the group when Luffy led them. “So, what then?”

“Isn’t your birthday in just a few days?” Her hand squeezed his forearm just a little as she spoke, her own gaze watching the story unfold ahead of them.

“Oh crap! Really? It’s that late in the year already?” His calm exterior dropped for maybe a fraction of a second, but it was enough for the archeologist to catch it. Of course she would have. This was Robin after all. “I get so messed up with all the damned climate changes from island to island.”

“Weren’t you just reading the paper this morning before we docked?” Her know-it-all smile returned as she flicked her eyes to him before returning to the ongoing fiasco ahead of them.

“That doesn’t mean I look at the date! If there is something important coming up that’s what you and Nami are for. You guys keep track of the dates, not me.” He huffed again and hunched his shoulders a little. “Besides, I just like looking at the comics.”

“Really?” That made her snap her head to the side to look at him. Her eyes were wide before she laughed once more. “I do as well. Tell me, which one is your favorite? I find the one about the dog quite funny.”

Zoro shrugged and inhaled to tell her how he found the one about the cat more humorous when Luffy yelled and shot off for the door of a building that had come into view. All arguments were forgotten as the rest of the crew rushed to the doorway and disappeared inside. Nami was yelling from her place in the middle of the walk still as he and Robin stepped up next to her.

“They are hopeless,” she whined, rubbing a hand across her forehead. “They never listen. They do what they want and I’m left to pick up the pieces.” As if on cue a loud crash was heard followed by the cook screaming at Luffy to sit the fuck down and wait for Nami. Dropping her shoulders in defeat, the navigator sighed. “Well, come on. Let’s go.”

Zoro stayed by the door, leaning on the frame while Nami negotiated prices of rooms with the young man behind the desk. The swordsman had to give him credit. Despite how intimidating Nami could be when it came to money he held his ground for the most part, only giving in when she used her womanly wiles on him. Twirling her fingers in her hair and pouting about how they didn’t have a ton of money and it was a vacation. Yeah, okay, like that was anywhere close to true.

He tuned the rest of it out, glancing back over his shoulder to look at the landscape a bit more. The edges of the jungle were cropped neatly to give the building a nice clear area to reside in but beyond that, Zoro could just sense the thrum of energy from the jungle. It was a calm one though, nothing overly aggressive that seemed to lash out at him. This was a spa after all and Zoro was sure the trees encouraged that as well.

“Here.”

“Hm?” His attention was brought back to Nami as she dangled a key in front of his face. He frowned slightly at the carved number three into the polished wood, but took it anyways. “Who the hell did you make me share a room with this time? I swear if it’s Swirly again I’m—”

“Nope!” With a sly grin, she cut him off with a shake of her head and bounce of her curls. Leaning back to look up at him, Nami gave him a genuine smile. “You get the room to yourself this time.”

Narrowing his eye at her, Zoro stuffed the key in a pocket before she could change her mind. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.” Waving a hand, she started to walk away. “Happy early Birthday.”

Inhaling to yell at her, the swordsman stopped as she said that. Well shit. “Thanks,” he muttered instead, turning and starting what would be a several hour long search for his room. He never could understand why places like this insisted on making everything like a damned maze.

When he finally found it, the first thing Zoro did was lock the door behind him. If the others found out he got his own room, they would go nuts and try to get in here with him. Hell no. If Nami was going to be nice enough to actually let him enjoy the peaceful quiet this year, than dammit he wasn’t going to argue with her.

Honestly, it hadn’t taken him as long to find this room as he thought it would have. And really, it was more like a single roomed cabin than anything. Okay, not single room, the bathroom was off to his right in it’s own little room, but each “room” was its own little establishment with a bed, a small kitchen like area, fireplace (what the hell for, Zoro had no idea) and of course the bed.

He was practically drooling when his eye caught that masterpiece and he didn’t even bother kicking off his boots as he tromped across the wooden flooring. Holy shit, Nami had gone all out this year! She not only got him his own space, but a fucking king size bed! Wait until dinner when he could rub  that in the shit cook’s face!

Carefully Zoro removed his weapons and bag, slinging that to the floor as he finally kicked off his boots. From there he sighed happily and jumped on the bed, face planting into the pillow for a much needed nap.

The knock on the door made him groan and he rolled over, half pulling the pillow off his head. The sound came again and Zoro blinked as he woke up a little more, finally feeling out that it was Usopp out there knocking tentatively. “Yeah? Whaddya want?” He half yawned and sat up, scratching at his hair.

The sniper’s voice was a bit muffled on the other side of the door as Zoro yawned again and stretched. “It’s close to dinner Zoro. You slept straight through lunch. Luffy wanted me to pick the lock but I told him no.”

“Thank fuck for that,” he mumbled under his breath before clearing his throat. “Really? It’s that late? Alright, hang on.” Getting up and staggering to the door, he flicked the lock and headed for the bathroom with a slam of the door.

He could hear the sniper step in and whistle as he closed the door behind himself. “Jeez Zoro, this place is amazing!”

“Yeah, I know, right?!” Flushing the toilet he threw open the door before washing his hands. “I don’t know what got into Nami this year, but I am not going to argue.”

“Don’t blame you. Oh, get this though, Nami stuck Sanji with Luffy!” Chuckling to himself, Usopp sighed and shook his head. “Luffy thinks it's great. Sanji is ready to kill him. I think the only reason he hasn’t gone back to the ship yet is cause Nami would kill  him  instead.”

“And we wouldn’t want that now, would we?” Sitting on the bed, Zoro pulled his boots on, quickly and easily pulling the laces tight and tying them off. Standing, he reached for his swords. “Who’s cooking then? Are we eating here or is Swirly gonna cook?”

“Last I saw Sanji he was stalking off across the courtyard.” Usopp shrugged. “I don’t know what’s going on. Luffy just demanded I come get you and with it being closer to dinner now, I figured I would try to wake you up.”

“Well,” Zoro sighed and rested a hand on the hilt of Ichimonji. His fingertips brushed across Shusui, the old blade humming at the touch and he easily shifted his grip to that weapon instead. Another contented hum ran up his arm as he stepped towards Usopp and the door. “Let’s go. I kinda wanna go out exploring before it gets too dark.”

“You’re just gonna get yourself lost Zoro.” Usopp crossed his arms as he watched Zoro lock the door.

“I am not!” The swordsman bristled at the comment. “Why in the hell do you guys always insist I get lost? I keep telling you...shit just moves around.”

“Does it move on the Sunny?” The sniper raised an eyebrow at him as the two started back towards the main courtyard and first building they came to.

Another warm zing from his blade ran up his arm and Zoro glanced down to Shusui’s hilt, catching the blue tassels of the sageo out of the corner of his eye. Then he looked back up to his nakama. “Well, no, not anymore. But I’m used to the Sunny. It’s only new places we haven’t been before.”

There was a snort before the curly haired man burst out into full on laughter. “Oh man Zoro! That’s rich! Really. The fact that you actually believe things move over your crappy sense of direction. You sounded so sincere!”

“Oh fuck off Usopp!” Shoving him in the shoulder, Zoro was happily rewarded with a startled yelp as the sniper fell over into the bushes. “I’m going to dinner.”

“No! Wait! Zoro!” Usopp scrambled behind him to get back on the trail and catch up. “Wait for me!”

Rolling his eye, Zoro paused as he waited for the other man to untangle himself from the bushes and catch up to him. Tapping a finger against Shusui’s kashira, the old weapon seemed in agreement at the hit to the swordsman’s pride. Usopp meant well and they both understood that, but at the same time, it didn’t mean he had to go and point out Zoro’s shortcomings. He knew damned well his sense of direction sucked, but that didn’t mean he liked talking about it or having it pointed out. It wasn’t something he could control anyways, and that in itself annoyed him to no end.

Frowning at the sniper, the two started walking again, quickly and easily joining up with the others for a lavish meal presented by the spa staff. It was a typical meal with the Strawhat crew. There was lots of laughter and yelling, lots of food and lots of booze. For once no one had to protect their plates from Luffy as the staff kept a steady supply of meat for their glutton of a Captain.

Everyone was getting along rather well, in fact even him and the cook had managed to fall into a somewhat decent conversation pertaining to their respective weapon care when the idiot pulled out some stupid little pocket watch he’d picked up on a previous island. Draining the last of the bottle of rum he was drinking, Zoro set it on the table. “What time is is Swirly?”

The blond clicked his tongue. “It’s almost eight asshole.” Snapping his fancy little time piece closed, the cook scowled at him. “Gonna turn into a moss if you aren’t in bed on time?”

“No!” He shot back moodily, grabbing an unopened bottle of rum and standing. “I’m ditching. Gonna go find a quiet place to meditate or something.”

“Please, get as lost as you like. I will make sure to inform the others you decided to remain here with your own kind when we depart.” Chucking to himself, the bastard flicked his bangs back over his ridiculous eyebrow.

“You’re just jealous I got my own room shit cook.” Sticking his tongue out at him, cause Zoro was a mature adult, he flipped the blond off and walked off down the trail, deeper into the jungle. That idiot’s cry of “go get wrecked shitty bastard” followed him around the corner.

It grew silent suddenly, as if the very jungle blocked out the sound of the rest of the crew’s partying and Zoro found it quite to his liking. Giving a happy sigh, he pulled the cork of his new bottle free and wrapped his hand around Shusui’s hilt once more. He’d found himself drawn more and more to that katana throughout the night and it sparked in his mind that he should get to the bottom of it. He didn’t sense any malice from the old blade, but there seemed to just be a need to...connect again.

Humming to himself, Zoro took a long pull of the rum, just letting his feet follow the trail as they saw fit into the darkening jungle. That sounded like the perfect course of action over the next few days that the crew would be here. It would give him the chance to reconnect with all his weapons and actually get some true meditation in, uninterrupted by the insanity that was his crew and nakama. Not that he didn’t love them all dearly, but fuck, even he needed his space occasionally.

The trail took him deep into the jungle along a winding gravel path. The staff here certainly took the time to maintain everything, that was pretty obvious. Shusui’s presence remained low key, but compared to the other two, it seemed the old blade was calling out to him, keeping his presence known and demanding the respect it deserved. “Alright, alright,” he muttered under his breath, rubbing his thumb along the hilt. The swordsman stopped short when a clearing opened up on his left.

Turning, Zoro faced it head on, raising a brow at it. There didn’t seem to be anything special about this particular clearing, other than the fact there was a pretty well taken care of grass lawn in the middle of a tropical jungle. Shrugging, he cleared his head and stepped off the trail onto the grass.

A thought struck him and Zoro wrestled himself out of his shirt, dropping that and his half empty bottle to the grass before kicking off his boots. One of his favorite ways to reconnect with his katana was through kata forms and what better place to do so than out here in the depths of the jungle with nothing more than himself, the occasional call of some night bird and the calming hum of the trees themselves.

Carefully, one at a time, he withdrew Ichimonji and Kitetsu, placing them propped on his boots over his shirt. He didn’t think either sword would get stains from the grass if they rested there, but he didn’t want to risk upsetting either one at the lack of respect either. Standing back up, he removed Shusui from his side as well and stepped further into the open clearing.

The grass was cool under his bare arches and with each step he couldn’t help but curl his toes into the short grass. The air was growing cooler as well, sending a chill running up Zoro’s spine. Moving to what looked to be about the center of the oval shaped area, he raised both his arms up to chest level. His right hand wrapped tightly in the space of the saya between the koi-guchi and kurigata. Bringing his left up to grasp at the base of hilt near the guard, Zoro shifted his hand slightly and carefully pulled the black blade free.

The sword all but jumped in his hands, excitement coursing through the swordsman from the weapon itself. Bending at the knees to place the saya in the grass, the swordsman let his eyes travel along the metal of the blade itself, searching for nicks and blemishes he knew were not there. He took extremely good care of his katana, and though sometimes he loathe to admit it, had learned a great deal more on weapon care over the course of the crew’s two year separation.

Keeping his right arm at his side, he extended his left out in front of himself, twisting his wrist so Shusui pointed straight ahead of his hand, a literal extension of his arm. The old blade’s aura overwhelmed him at that point, circling him and enveloping Zoro as he stood there. Closing his eye, he shifted his entire body, dropping into the beginning stance of his kata form.

Out of all his weapons, for whatever reason, he seemed to connect the easiest with Shusui this way. Letting years of practiced training and the weapon itself guide him, Zoro began his form, focusing more on the reaction of the katana, than where his feet were in the grass.

The breath of everything, he’d been told long ago and while he could easily contribute that to the trees around him, Zoro knew what his swords held was something else entirely. It was more of a presence, each one significantly different than the others. The swordsman wouldn’t say his katana had a sentient soul, not like himself or his crew, but each one did have an aura about them that was strictly their own. Even in the darkest of nights, Zoro would know which weapon he held by that alone.

Twisting and bringing one foot around, he swiped the weapon through the air, feeling the weight in his grasp as he did so. He’d grown used to Shusui’s heavier weight and even preferred it for some of his attacks, but even now Zoro found himself recalculating moves almost daily. He was growing stronger afterall. A tingle ran up his arm in agreement and the swordsman couldn’t help the smirk that passed over his lips. Yeah, even Shusui couldn’t hide the excitement at that declaration. The admiration and pride at being wielded by such a master swordsman as himself.

A calm stole over Zoro, something he found happened whenever he worked with the old weapon. It was clear to him that Shusui had lived and seen things he would only ever get to read about, but at the same time, the blade’s knowledge was his now; if he could just relax enough to learn from it. The black blade rarely tried to invade his thoughts, preferring to keep to itself, but when that aura wanted to press, Zoro would willingly let Shusui into his mind. It seemed to happen the most when he would practice like this.

Surprisingly the black blade was quiet tonight, content with just being free of the saya. Maybe Shusui appreciated the quiet hum of the jungle as much as Zoro did. Or maybe the blade just didn’t have anything to give tonight beyond the feel of its aura resting lightly on Zoro’s skin. Perhaps that was all that needed to be said tonight.

Zoro stood from the first kata form before instantly dropping into a second. A swell of satisfaction rushed over his bare skin, making the swordsman smile slightly. Shusui just seemed to want to be used tonight, just wanted to see where they were and bask in the cool air. He could easily appreciate that line of thought.

Pausing, Zoro shifted his now two handed grip along the woven black hilt. The air was steadily dropping in temperature. Not that it was cold and he was beginning to work up a little bit of a sweat from the constant movement, but the swordsman could still easily feel it in the air. The quiet of the jungle itself grew as well, the calls of the evening creatures farther and fewer as the night grew.

Tipping his head back, Zoro opened his eye to glance up at the sky. He always enjoyed watching the stars from the Sunny, and having the grass deck would sometimes make it seem more like on land, but actually seeing the stars on true earth was something else entirely. The tall trees blocked most of the skyline, but the open patch right over his head was littered with bright little specks. Some seemed to blink, others were steady.

Ironically a nice clear night like this was one of the few things he missed about being stuck on that island with Mihawk and Perona for those two years. Once in awhile they would sit on one of the many balconies and take a break from it all to just watch the stars. It was then that Zoro had spent a good amount of his time cleaning his weapons. Maybe that was one reason why Shusui was insistent tonight. There were indeed good memories scattered in with the rest of the shit that had happened there.

Dropping from his stance, Zoro rubbed a fist into his left eye, growling low in his throat as that damned day assaulted his mind. Without even thinking, he swiped Shusui through the air once more, cringing a bit when the blast of air sent from the blade took a nice bite out of the edge of the manicured tree line.

An angry warning slid through the blade’s aura, doing nothing but darkening Zoro’s mood further. Like he really cared to be reprimanded by a piece of steel…

Taking a deep breath, Zoro brought the katana up, resting the blade in the open palm of his right hand, his grip slackening on the hilt. The stars reflected in the black metal, twinkling back up at Zoro from below as they mirrored the sky above. Turning the blade slightly, it caught his own scowling reflection and Zoro couldn’t help but be drawn to the scar over his eye again.

Another failure, forever marked into his skin. Shusui seemed to growl at that, not liking the swordsman's train of thought over the matter. “That’s right,” he mumbled into the night air, talking outloud to the heavy blade in his hands. “It was you, wasn’t it?”

What could pass as a hum of agreement washed over Zoro then and he sighed once more. He’d been holding the black blade when it happened, raining blood over his sharpened edge like tears. Well, in a way, that’s what it had been…

Tightening his grip, Zoro lashed out again, another attack cutting through the trees. The breath of the jungle grew somber, if not saddened, but it also seemed to hold an understanding Zoro really didn’t want to deal with right now. He really didn’t need pity from a bunch of fucking trees that knew nothing of him. It was bad enough he was getting it from his katana.

“Oh fuck it,” he muttered, turning on his heel and stalking back to where he’d laid Shusui’s saya at the beginning of this. He’d meant for this to be a quiet and centering exercise with his weapon. Zoro hadn’t meant for it to turn into a session of dredging up shit he hadn’t been strong enough to change.

Bending as he moved, he picked up the saya and with a practiced roll of his wrist, returned the old blade to its home with a click. Then he returned Shusui to his side as he moved to stand before the other two. Neither one of them were making their presence known and Zoro quirked an eyebrow at that as he stared down at them. Even Kitetsu was being strangely quiet and that one always seemed to take advantage of Zoro’s bad moods.

“Whatever.” The swordsman grumbled, bending to retrieve his other katana and returning them to his side as well. Snatching up his shirt, he stomped into his boots, not bothering to tie them and took a long pull from the rest of his rum. It burned down his throat and hit his stomach with a warmth he always welcomed. Maybe he just needed to get back to the room, drink some more and sleep off this shitty mood.

Actually that sounded like a perfect idea. Gripping tight to Shusui’s hilt still, Zoro wandered back down the path in the direction he hoped was the main building to this place and wondered if they would still be willing to hand over some booze.


	2. Sandai Kitetsu

Groaning, Zoro rolled over. He’d slept like shit, plagued with nightmares he couldn’t place. Blinking a couple times, he stared up at the ceiling of his cabin. What in the hell had been wrong with him last night? He rarely had dreams that were harsh enough to disturb his sleep.

Sighing, he scrubbed at his face with his hands and sat up. The air was calm, the low constant hum of the trees singing in praise at the new morning. Hell, even when on vacation, Zoro couldn’t seem to sleep in any. Swinging his feet to the floor, his toes met the cool glass of a bottle and the swordsman gently nudged it away with his foot. How much had he drank last night? Not that it ever affected him a lot, but the staff had spoken highly of something they made right there on the island and he’d just had to try it.

Had it been that stuff that had messed with his sleep? Stumbling to his feet, Zoro headed for the bathroom, not even bothering to close the door behind him. The swordsman took a deep breath as he went to relieve himself and took a long look at his reflection in the mirror as he washed his hands afterward. “You look like shit Roronoa,” he grunted at the glass, frowning at his own tired eye staring back at him.

Maybe he should try to get some more sleep. Hell, that sounded like a pretty good idea to him. Drying his hands on the small towel, Zoro turned, squaring his feet as his gaze fell to his katana propped once more at the corner of the bed. Shusui was quiet; either the black blade was refusing to commune with Zoro over his outburst last night, or was simply satisfied with the little time they had spent together.

Ichimonji seemed content as always, yet his level of connection with that blade ran deeper than anything he’d ever known. Occasionally, he swore he saw the weapon’s previous owner, usually standing over him with arms crossed behind her back, but whenever Zoro tried to meet Kuina’s scrutinizing gaze, she was gone. And Zoro was left with nothing more than the urge to train harder.

Lastly, his sight landed on Kitetsu, the red lacquer on the saya shining in the morning sun. Walking across the small space, Zoro raised a brow and carefully picked the weapon up. Cradling it in both his open palms, the swordsman let his gaze wander over the weapon idly.

This sword and him had an understanding, but that didn’t mean that the curse placed on it didn’t try to rear its head and bite him. Ever since he’s touched the Sandai Kitetsu, Zoro had felt it in the back of his mind. It wanted to take over and consume who the swordsman was, turn on him and add his blood to the list of ones the blade had tasted. He hadn’t liked that idea very much, proving right then and there to the weapon who the master would be.

Kitetsu still acted out, his aura always dark and boding. Now though there was a respect mixed in and if Zoro tried hard enough, he could sometimes even pick out a hint of admiration within the cursed blade’s aura. Still, Kitetsu prided itself on being the sharpest of his three katana, ready to bite at a moment's notice, even if Zoro wasn’t willing to let the blade sink its teeth into an opponent. The weapon would act out at times as well, never fully accepting Zoro as its master.

“Mm, are you what’s behind these dreams...Kitetsu?” Zoro barely breathed out the sword’s name, feeling the approving hum dance up both his arms. Even if it wasn’t, the swordsman knew the cursed blade would take ownership at perhaps causing its master a little torment. Setting the red katana back with his others, Zoro ran a hand through his hair, scratching at his scalp.

Kitetsu’s aura burned into his skin, angry at being put back down. The swordsman dropped his arm and stared at the golden guard, tracing the shape as he thought over his words. “I’m going back to bed. When I get back up, I think it will be you.” Moving back up to the side of the bed, Zoro sat down, glancing back at his katana one last time before rolling to his back on the mattress and pulling the blankets over his head.

He didn’t fall asleep right away though, instead staring up at the dark gray hue of the blanket over his face. Zoro closed his eye and willed his mind to clear and for a few moments it would, but then it seemed Kitetsu would come flooding back in, snarling and fuming at being second to his insufferable need and want to sleep.

The swordsman rolled onto his side away from his katana and wormed an arm under his pillow as he groaned in annoyance. Deep breath in and deep breath out. He was the one in control here, not his weapon. He was the master and Kitetsu should remember that. Eventually Zoro fell asleep, but it took longer than he wanted with a great more deal of effort than he really had in him at that moment.

A loud banging caused Zoro to press his hands against his ears and hiss at how it seemed to echo around his head. Why the hell was someone knocking and why did it feel like it was pounding in his head; rattling around in his skull with a need to get out. What a hell of a way to wake up this time around.

With a groan, the swordsman sat up, arms dropping into his lap as he blinked his eye into focus. The knocking came again, louder and harder this time, causing Zoro to dig the heels of his palms into his eyes. Why in the fuck couldn’t they just let him sleep? All he wanted to do was sleep. Weren’t they on vacation? Why did he have to get woken up too?

Zoro swore under his breath as he pulled his hands from his face. If it was that asshole cook, he was gonna skewer him and give Kitetsu that blood he was after. Again with the knocking and this time for sure Zoro knew it reverberated through his brain, the same as it rattled the door on its hinges.

With a snarl, he threw the covers aside, kicking one of the bottles at his feet and barely registering the shattering of glass against the stones of the fireplace. Stalking towards the door, he snatched up Kitetsu, pulling the blade free and dropping the saya to the floor. Grabbing the doorknob with his right hand, Zoro angled his body and pulled his left arm back, blade held at the ready for a long upwards blow that would render whoever the fuck was on the other side of that door in half.

A sneer formed on his lips. How long had it been since he’d been able to just tear into someone without having to think about it? How long had it been since he’d been able to let himself submerge in the bloodlust and just let loose with his katana? How long had it been…

The knocking rattled the door again and the swordsman’s hand along with it. Narrowing his eye, Zoro twisted the knob and threw open the door, swinging around it and bringing Kitetsu up in a single clean arcing blow.

His attack was blocked and Zoro snapped his head up to see who in the hell was fast enough to stop one of his attacks without any warning. Breath catching in his throat, the swordsman pulled back, stumbling back a pace into the room as he met his own eye.

The smirk on his other self's face was downright feral, making Zoro ponder if he actually looked like this when he went out to battle. Chopper had told him before he looked scary, but he’d simply laughed it off, ruffling the little doctor’s fur, but this…

“Who in the fuck are you?!” The swordsman growled out, twisting Kitetsu across his body in a defensive guard as he jumped back. The version of himself in the door remained the same, body squared and drawn to full height, Kitetsu held easily in their left hand.

Zoro’s eyes flicked from that cursed sword to his own, his reflection glinting off the silver in the blade. His eye was wide and he looked a little paler than normal. Swallowing, he looked back up to the imposter in his door as they spoke. “I’m you.”

“Like fuck you are!” Zoro snarled out, dropping his stance a little as he prepared to strike. He could feel his toes curl against the wooden flooring, giving him that little bit of added grip for when he moved to attack.

“Am I not?” His opposite spoke evenly, as if what they had to say was general knowledge that Zoro should have known. They crouched similar to his own position, but Zoro knew his own moves and tensed for the different attacks that could have come from that stance. With a low laugh, one the swordsman knew very well, Zoro’s doppleganger opened their left eye, blood trailing down his copy’s cheek freely. The red glow where the eye should have been was bright and captivating, drawing Zoro’s attention like a moth to an open flame. His opponent moved then and Zoro cursed. It was going to be too late, he’d let his guard down in his moment of shock and the strike was going to be too fast for him to block...

Arms and legs flailing, Zoro crashed to the floor of his room, banging his head off of the bottle he’d dropped there the night before. Clutching at his head with both arms, he groaned and curled in on himself a little more. What in the fuck had that been about? The side of his head stung and he pulled his hand back, thankful at not seeing any blood. Chopper would have his head if he’d done something as stupid as crack his skull open by hitting an empty bottle.

There was a knock at the door and he sat up, eye wide as he stared at it in mute horror. “Dude,” came the familiar, yet muffled tone of Franky’s voice. “Zoro, you okay in there Bro?”

Sighing, the swordsman looked around for a moment before climbing to his feet and bending to scoop up the blanket he’d pulled to the ground with him. “Yeah. What’s going on Franky?”

“Ah, ya know, the usual. Sanji’s fuming and chomping at the bit cause you slept through another meal. He was ready to come get you himself, but we all agreed it wouldn’t be fair to the spa staff to let you two knuckleheads go all out on their island. So here I am.”

“Oh,” Zoro nodded quietly, running a hand through his hair and walking to the door. He quickly unlocked it and threw it open, sure enough revealing the cyborg and nothing more. Zoro took a moment to just simply look at his nakama before closing his eye and heaving a sigh.

Kitetsu swarmed over him then, forcing its aura on the swordsman and making its presence known. Once more, the cursed blade’s aura was the only one he could feel and that got him to thinking that perhaps his plagued dreams really were a result of the weapon. Glancing over his shoulder to his katana, he furrowed his brow at them and shook his head. A low vibration moved over his skin, making the swordsman’s skin crawl and he repressed a shudder before he turned around. The pleased feeling he got from the demon sword in that moment made Zoro stop in his tracks.

“You okay man? You look like you saw a ghost or some shit?” There was only concern for him in the cyborg’s voice, but Zoro shot him a glare just the same.

“I’m...yeah, I’m good.” Turning, he dismissed the conversation with a wave of his hand. “Let me change real fast and let’s head out. I’m surprised that idiot cook even thought to leave me some food.”

“You know as damned well as I do, that despite your glaring differences, when it comes to food Sanji doesn’t joke around.” Zoro shrugged at the shipwright’s words as he picked up his bag and pulled out clean clothes. Dropping that in favor of gathering up his haramaki, he closed the bathroom door behind him to get dressed quickly.

Franky had moved off the porch and was standing at the edge of the walkway with his arms crossed when Zoro emerged from the cabin. He locked the door and stuffed his key in a pocket. His hand moved to Kitetsu, gripping the red hilt tightly and gritting his teeth against the overwhelming thirst the blade threw at him. Giving a grunt, the swordsman took a calming breath as he stepped up next to his nakama.

“You sure you’re okay Bro? You seem a little off this morning.” Flicking his sunglasses down over his eyes, Franky eyed him cautiously.

“Yeah, I’m good, I said.” Zoro nodded, walking along the path towards the main building once more. “Did everyone eat on the ship?”

“You know Cook-Bro, insisted on a picnic on the beach this morning.” The larger man let out a snort of laughter. “I think Nami was fine with it until the seagulls arrived.”

“And I missed it? Damn.” Zoro chuckled at that, but the moment his focus went else where, the cursed blade tried to move in. He had no idea what in the hell Kitetsu’s problem was, but after getting something to eat, he was out. The swordsman needed to regain control of this blade and now. Of all of them, this was the one he couldn’t let run free, as the phrase went.

But the cursed sword was relentless, digging in deep and giving Zoro a headache before they’d even reached the ship. Franky had caught on that something was wrong when the swordsman had begun to give short one word answers to his attempts at conversation, veering off to rejoin the group near the water when Zoro clomped his way up the gangplank of the ship to find the cook and get his breakfast.

“Well…” The blond started when he pushed through the galley door. “Look what the cat threw up. Finally decided to join us humans huh  Marimo ?”

Zoro hissed in a breath, closing his eye and willing the pounding in his head to go away. His entire head was throbbing from just the tone of the shit cook’s voice, made even worse by what he’d come to recognize as Kitetsu’s laugh. “Not now Cook.”

There must have been something in his tone because the other man backed off. “Oi, you okay? You look like shit.”

“Thanks,” Zoro scowled at him as he sat at the counter, his grip still tight on Kitetsu.

“No, really. No jab.” Shaking his head, the cook placed a warm plate of food in front of him and leaned a hip on the counter. “You feeling alright?”

Rubbing at his temples again with a hand, the swordsman finally relinquished his hold on his katana in favor of food. Pulling the plate closer, Zoro picked up the offered fork and cut into the elegant display of eggs and hashbrowns in front of him. Stuffing the first fork full into his mouth, Zoro debated on telling the idiot about what was going on or not. They were rivals, true, but shit like this was different and to be honest, it was something they had discussed before. The crew knew of the curse, but for whatever reason, he’d chosen to tell the cook about its affects long ago.

With a grunt, he flicked his gaze up to the cook and swallowed. “It’s Kitetsu.”

“Alright,” was the calm reply as the chef tapped ash from a new cigarette into the dish by his hand. “What’s the plan?”

“Same as always,” Dropping his eye back to his food, Zoro stuffed more egg into his mouth. “I’ma gonna eat, then I’m gonna go find a place to meditate somewhere. Reign the bastard back in.” At the name, the cursed blade flared again, its presence gliding over the swordsman’s skin and settling around him thick and heavy. The sword was practically suffocating at this point. He paused in his motion of bringing another mouthful of food up, closing his eye and just trying to get through the new wave of pain in his head. Damn Kitetsu. The headaches the weapon could bring on, even Chopper couldn’t make go away.

“You gonna take all of them?” It was times like this, the rare times when he and the love cook could get along that strengthened their abilities to fight and read one another. No stupid questions were asked, no need to explain anything. Everything was simple and to the point. If only they could get along like that all the time. “I’m going to be in here for a while.”

Zoro simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak right then and biting down on the fork a little harder than he meant to. The cook turned then, resting his cigarette against his lip and pouring the swordsman a cup of coffee. “Do you want to wait around long enough for me to make you a lunch? Of course you are, I’m just going to make you one.”

The bastard fell quiet after that, letting Zoro eat in as much peace as he could and presenting him with a boxed lunch when he removed the cleaned breakfast plate. Standing, the swordsman pulled Shusui and Ichimonji from his side, moving to rest them in the corner against the wall. They would be safe there as long as the blond was in the galley and if the shit cook had to move them for whatever reason, Zoro trusted not only him, but the blades to respond calmly as well.

He was taking the trouble maker with him after all. Picking up the pack the love cook had made, Zoro swung it over his shoulder and moved toward the door, grip tight on Kitetsu once more. “Hey...Sanji; thanks.”

The blond snorted, back turned to him as he started washing dishes. “Get out of my kitchen Zoro.”

He smirked as he stepped onto the deck, scanning the shoreline for the rest of the crew. Zoro really wasn’t in a mood to deal with them right now. His headache had dulled a little with the food and the hit of caffeine from the coffee, but Zoro knew it was because Kitetsu didn’t sense the other weapons right now. The blade knew it was the only one on the swordsman’s person and its aura reflected that.

There was a knowing tint to the heavy suffocating feel of the cursed blade, a satisfaction that only rose when Zoro was solely focused on it or when they had shed a lot of blood together. With a grunt, Zoro moved with purpose down the gangplank and quickly found himself reaching the main building of the spa. Instead of turning down the path he had the night before, he turned the other way, down a trail that seemed to skirt the edge of the jungle on this side instead of cutting through it.

Kitetsu seemed to pulse in his grip the longer the swordsman stayed on the trail. He didn’t know exactly what place he was searching for, but Zoro knew when he found it, he would know. Same as he had last night. Shusui had directed him to that little clearing and whether Kitetsu wanted to or not, the blade would bring him to a place where they could settle this unclear battle.

Because that’s what this was. Zoro didn’t fully understand why now of all times his cursed blade was acting up and when he would try to think on it, his headache would return. “What is your problem?” He hissed down at the weapon before glancing along the trail ahead of them. Frowning at the break in the trail, he hesitated only a moment before hanging a left deeper into the trees. The wide path narrowed significantly, going from a few people being able to walk abreast down to one.

Nor was this path as well taken care of as the previous one. Trees hung across the path overhead and Zoro found himself having to push the occasional vine out of his way as well. Where in the fuck was he now? Figured, the one time he lets the weapon lead, it gets them completely and hopelessly lost. Grinding his teeth and about ready to turn around, the path cleared and opened up once more.

Before the swordsman stood a pool this time. The same oval shape as the grass before and sitting in the dead center of it was a large flat rock. Narrowing his eye at it, even more confused by the sudden lack of Kitetsu’s aura, Zoro decided to investigate further.

Walking to the edge of the water, Zoro peered over the lip into the still, blue-green surface. It reflected his own tired expression back at him, but nothing more. Below the surface appeared to be tiles, placed in a precise order on the bottom. So this was man made? Not that he hadn’t suspected that to begin with. There was simply no way that a rock that perfect would naturally find its way into the center of a shallow pool. “Is this where you wanted to go...Kitetsu?”

The demon sword  was surprisingly silent at the question. In fact ever since Zoro had gotten here the blade had almost completely withdrawn from him. His headache had diminished and he could no longer feel the stifling presence of the blade. The swordsman knew better than to turn around and leave however, instead taking a deep breath and dropping the cook’s lunch to the stones at his feet.

“Alright,” he started as he pulled off his T-shirt and bent to undo the laces of his boots. “We are going there. It’s just you and me now.” Pulling the sword free from his haramaki, Zoro took that off as well, dropping it over his shirt and rolling his pant legs up to his knees. Picking Kitetsu up once more, he carefully stepped over the lip of the water’s edge and made his way towards the central rock.

The water was maybe a foot deep, only coming up to mid-shin and it was warm, the morning sun doing an excellent job combined with the tiles of heating it. Zoro held the katana loosely in his grip as he walked to the rock. There he climbed onto it and settled into the center of it, crossing his legs and resting Kitetsu over his lap.

Still not a single vibe from the sword at all. Zoro knew better than to think that simply coming here was enough, so with a deep breath, he straightened his shoulders and closed his eye. He would get to the bottom of this and do it now. If the weapon was no longer going to come to him, than Zoro was going to go find it.

Normally when meditating, the swordsman would try to clear his head. Try to remove all thought and simply focus on relaxing and calming his body so he could recenter. Today however, he had a purpose and Zoro honed in on the weight of his katana against his thighs and the need to reach out and find its aura. He couldn’t; wouldn’t return to his room until he and Kitetsu had come to an understanding.

Like all his meditations, Zoro was aware of the world around him, if only muted to his senses at that point in time. Today however, he felt blocked off and closed in. Kitetsu was here with him, the swordsman could tell that easily enough. He could feel the aura of his weapon draped over him like a heavy blanket, yet he couldn’t see the blade either. Not that any of them had a physical representation of themselves he could identify with, but he could just...tell when it was a particular weapon he was dealing with.

Slowly, out of the blackness, a crimson light appeared, glowing brighter in his mind and making Zoro raise a hand to shield his eye from it. The almost out of body experience didn’t unnerve him anymore when dealing with this particular blade, the curse threw all sorts of things at him in its attempts to distract and confuse the swordsman. “Just tell me what you want?” Zoro spoke lowly, sitting down in the middle of the nothing and crossing his arms. Tipping his head forward and to the side slightly, he turned his gaze in the direction he could now feel the aura of the sword in.

It was hostile and aggressive, same as it always was, with sharp teeth ready to sink into his flesh if given the chance. Zoro could taste the want for blood on his own tongue as the cursed blade issued out its desires. With a deep breath, the swordsman sighed and shook his head. “No, we aren’t doing this your way. I know what you thirst for and you haven’t gotten it yet. Nor will you.”

To let Kitetsu cut him would be to give in to the madness that was its curse. But the sword seemed to know better than to tempt his wrath fully today. Not that it backed down, because Kitetsu never backed down. In that like, the two were similar.

The red glow dimmed, even if just slightly, flickering in thought as it contemplated what to do next. It had been frightening in a way the first time Zoro had encountered the demon that lurked within the sharpened steel. Kitetsu had come from nowhere, trying to overthrow the swordsman and consume who he was during meditation.

It had snapped him awake with a jerk of his whole body, leaving the sword’s aura suffocating him in the waking world. The sword had been relentless then as well, driving with such force Zoro had a pounding migraine for almost a week. No amount of training, sleeping or meditating had helped to lessen the pain.

Now, the headaches were farther and fewer, only rising when the cursed sword felt it was owed something or sought out extra attention. It was ridiculous to say that Kitetsu was jealous, but that was exactly how Zoro thought about it and so here he was, meditating on some stupid rock the sword had dragged him to in hopes to satisfy some carnal need of a piece of folded steel.

It seemed to be working though, if only just a little. The deep hue of the glow was still present and the taste of copper was still heavy on his tongue. The swordsman could feel the katana pacing, like a caged animal in a zoo, watching and waiting for that one weak spot in the bars so it could break free and attack its captors. Only, Zoro hadn’t been the one to lock Kitetsu’s curse within the weapon. In fact, if anything, the swordsman utilized it and gave the sword what it wanted.

It thirsted for blood and Zoro gave it willingly. Not his own of course, but the blood of their enemies, never thinking twice about how deep the bite of Kitetsu’s sharpened edge went. That thought seemed to please the blade and it backed away significantly from his mind. Was this entire thing as simple as the weapon wanted a good fight?

It was possible. It had been a while since they had encountered an enemy that Zoro could mindlessly cut through. Hell, if he wanted to be completely honest with himself, he was after that type of fight as well. Zoro was growing restless with the lull in fighting as of late. Maybe Kitetsu had just sensed that need and decided to focus on it. It wouldn’t have been the first time the katana sought out Zoro’s own blood lust to use against him. Although, he was getting better about giving in to the sword’s unspoken directions. The weapon just needed to be patient.

Being patient however was not something Kitetsu was good at. Red flared all around the swordsman, closing in on him. A wave of heat ripped through the nothing around them, making sweat bead across Zoro’s skin. He remained seated and calm however, simply inhaling deeply and exhaling smoothly. Yup, patience was what was needed here, even if the cursed blade didn’t want to hear that. To be reprimanded like a child, and by Zoro no less, the man who thought to call himself master over Kitetsu.

Rolling his eye, the swordsman tipped his head back a little, exposing his neck to the brilliant light and looking up toward the sky. What felt like someone breathing against his throat made Zoro swallow, but he didn’t flinch away from it. “Neither of us trusts the other fully, Kitetsu; that’s what makes this work however.”

Zoro kept his tone even, lacking any type of emotion that could be taken wrong and give the blade that chance it was looking for. Things worked differently when he was meditating and Kitetsu didn’t necessarily need Zoro’s blood to unleash that curse upon him when they were solely within his subconscious. All the swordsman needed to do was simply give in and allow the temptations of Kitetsu to control his actions. It would be all over then.

Thin tendrils licked along his flesh, but Zoro repressed the shudder that wanted to run up his spine. The blade wanted to hurt him, he could feel it in the way the weapon’s aura crowded into his space and mind. The taste of blood wouldn’t leave his mouth and he swallowed thickly in an attempt to clear it away. The tickling sensation of breath moved over his skin, from the dip in his throat near his collarbone, up along toward his jaw and finally settling near his ear, making his earrings clink softly against one another. Feather light touches ghosted over his skin, making Zoro grit his teeth as he tried to ignore it.

Zoro wanted to say he knew this tactic of the blade, but this was something new. Normally, the katana came at him aggressively, baring teeth and sharp claws. Today, it was gentle caresses across his sweaty skin and wordless murmurs in his ear. It was a different temptation, Zoro knew. One that was a little easier to get swept away in than the normal savage attacks his weapon sought to fight him with.

He couldn’t get caught up in this, however.Whatever it was the sword was trying this time around, he needed to remain unaffected by it. Zoro knew he needed to stay stronger than the blade and closed his eye once more to focus on his breathing. Kitetsu wouldn’t give up without a fight, and Zoro could feel the cursed sword’s anger swell as he ignored its tries at tempting him to give in.

After what seemed like forever, the demon blade pulled away from him though, circling around the swordsman and appearing to sulk as its little game had failed. Zoro allowed himself a smirk then, dropping his head forward once more to gaze off triumphantly into the dimming red horizon. “Remember your place.” The swordsman growled out, closing his eye again. “I am the one in control here.”

Kitetsu’s aura flared again, angry and defiant before dimming down to almost nothing. Zoro could still feel the demon sword, its presence pulsing quietly as it waited for another time it thought the swordsman was vulnerable.

Opening his eye, Zoro blinked at the sun, turning to look up to see it had moved far across the sky. How long had he been meditating with his sword? How long had it taken him to bring Kitetsu back under his control? Flicking his gaze down, the blade still sat in his lap, calmer now though. He could feel the katana in the back of his mind, but that wasn’t unusual.

The headache the swordsman had when arriving was gone as well. Stretching, Zoro picked up the blade and stood. Kitetsu’s aura had completely withdrawn from him for the time being, locking itself back within its saya to brood quietly. “That’s fine,” he spoke lowly as he set the weapon aside to redress. “I will be waiting for you the next time you decide to try and lash out and take control.”


	3. Wado Ichimonji

Zoro felt much better today than he had the last couple days. This was supposed to be a vacation for relaxing and so far all he’d done was range through all sorts of emotions. Shusui and Kitetsu had the potential to bring out the worst in him and both had succeeded in pulling pieces of him apart from his whole while demanding his attention. It had been infuriating and stressful, draining his energy and leaving him feeling hollow and broken.

He was calmer today as well, an almost zen like state falling over him when he woke and continuing throughout the day as he dressed and showered, even following him to breakfast. The swordsman immediately recognized it as Wado Ichimonji, his most cherished of the three katana. The aura that radiated from the white sword was always calming and fulfilling, yet demanding in its own right, just like the other two. While they demanded strength and blood, what Ichimonji demanded was self confidence and the will to drive forward, to strive to be better. Zoro readily gave to all three, but sometimes it was that nudge from his most treasured blade that drove him beyond his previous limits.

Ichimonji’s presence was light and welcoming, accepting him with open arms despite his flaws and dark secrets. The two had been together since he was little and his bond with the weapon was one that wouldn’t break easily. He wouldn’t trust another blade that close to his heart or his mind, and Zoro knew Ichimonji would never forgive him if he ever thought about placing another katana between his teeth. Not that he would. He’d perfected his Santoryu with that calming strength and there was no way he would jeopardize that relationship. The warm glow of the sword’s aura reflected his thinking, tugging gently at the back of his mind and caressing his skin.

After breakfast, he’d left the main building of the spa to return to his room to gather his sword cleaning supplies. All three swords had grown excited, preening in their own rights as he quietly found a picnic table under some trees. The lawn was still wet as he tracked across it to take his place, carefully removing each weapon one at a time and laying them across the table top.

He’d started with Shusui, the ancient blade all but commanding his attention first. Not that he minded any, it was fitting in a way as that weapon was the first he’d reconnected with upon arriving here. The entire time Kitetsu grumbled, while Ichimonji attempted to hush the cursed blade and waited quietly. Having all three of their auras calm and content was nice and less taxing on his mental state. As soon as he was done with Shusui, the dark blade quieted immensely, dimming to nothing more than a low hum in the back of his mind. Then he picked up the cursed sword and started the process over again. He could feel the self important sneer of the katana, Kitetsu always was full of itself.

Zoro rolled his eye as the three katana pushed and pulled at one another in the back of his mind. They bickered with one another, reminding the swordsman of little kids fighting over a piece of candy. They certainly were not children however, nor would he ever actually call his swords that, but it was still slightly amusing to be witness to the three of them trying to vie for his attention.

Chopper carefully made his way over to him just as he was sheathing Kitetsu after cleaning the blade. All his supplies were scattered around him and to the average person walking by, it must have looked like a mess, but Zoro knew right where everything he needed was. Shusui lay off to his right, resting happily in the shade on the far side of the picnic table he’d taken over. Kitetsu was still in his grasp as he flicked his gaze from the weapon to the doctor as he jumped up on the bench opposite him.

“What are you doing Zoro?” Ears swiveling forward in curiosity, the little reindeer waited quietly for a reply as Zoro wiped a cloth down the saya of his cursed blade and set it next to the other.

Looking up at the doctor, the swordsman watched as he leaned on his hooves over the table to get a better look at his work space. Resting his forearms on the edge of the worn table, Zoro raised the corner of his mouth in a small smile. He could never resist when it was Chopper who was asking. “Cleaning my katana. I’m almost done. Just have Ichimonji left.”

“Can I help?” Big brown eyes looked up to him and Zoro bit at his lip.

“Sorry bud, not with this. You can sit and keep me company if you want though.” It was always so hard to tell the little guy no, but this was something that he couldn’t let him help with. This in it’s own right was bonding time for him and his swords, one that he and Ichimonji had always especially seemed to connect with. He didn’t have to sharpen the blades today thankfully, as much as he enjoyed taking them apart and getting out his sharpening stones. It would make this an entire day long process and he’d left most of that supply set on the ship.

Reaching over with his left arm, Zoro picked up Ichimonji easily, his hand wrapping around the saya just under the guard. Chopper’s face lit up at the invitation and he jumped off the bench to skip around to Zoro’s side. There was no need to even ask what he was doing, the swordsman knew what the little reindeer wanted, so he slid back a bit on the bench to make room for him. Raising his arm and the katana in the air, he jerked his head in a nod. “Come on, I know you want to sit in my lap.”

The doctor’s eyes and grin grew wide as he scrambled into Zoro’s lap and settled down. It would make things a little harder, but Ichimonji was patient and the weapon seemed to be enjoying the display of affection towards his nakama. The silver blade’s aura was simply radiating love and admiration towards not only Zoro but Chopper, instantly accepting the little reindeer and in its own way inviting him to join them as well.

Zoro wasn’t sure if his nakama could sense the blade or not, but he kept the small smile on his face just the same. “Mm, Chopper, Ichimonji’s excited you’re helping.” Reaching over the reindeer’s head, he pulled the blade free of the saya and set that off to the side before holding the blade up in his right hand. Twisting and turning it slightly to quickly look for nicks, Zoro lowered it back towards the table top, resting the tip of the blade on the extra towel he’d brought along.

“How can you tell the sword’s happy I’m here?” Chopper asked quietly, kicking his feet slowly. He placed both hooves on the edge of the table, but didn’t move any closer or try to touch anything around them.

“Oh, it’s kind of hard to explain. It’s just this feeling I have. Each one of my katana have personalities, if you will. I’m sure you felt Kitetsu’s in Water Seven. The blade raged for weeks afterward at me for having been careless and then letting another touch it.” Just speaking of that made the blade’s aura flare up next to him, snapping defensively at the back of his mind. It still annoyed the weapon when Zoro mentioned it, even now, years later.

“I felt something, although I don’t really know what to call it.” Twisting his head around, the doctor looked up at Zoro as the swordsman reached out to pick up the white saya. Zoro tapped it on the cloth next to the edge of Ichimonji’s blade, nodding to himself when a few bits of grit and sand fell from the koi-guchi. “It felt angry though. Restless and mean.” The swordsman could hear the frown in the little reindeer’s voice.

“Yeah, that sounds like Kitetsu alright.” Reaching over to rest the saya with the other blades, Zoro picked up the silver sword once more. Smirking, the swordsman picked up a paper towel as well, cupping his hand slightly as he rested the backside of the weapon in his palm. Using his fingers, the swordsman pressed the towel to the flat sides of the blade.

Chopper kept swinging his feet, watching quietly from in between Zoro’s arms as he carefully ran the towel along the length of Ichimonji’s blade. He took his time, making sure to press into the blood groove and be careful of the sharpness of the cutting edge. “Why are you doing that?”

The white katana’s aura flared happily as Zoro smiled once more and looked down to the reindeer with a tilt of his head. “Cleaning all the old oil off. I can’t polish the steel correctly if there is oil on the blade. I am supposed to be using something called nuguigami paper, but I ran out, so I just got some of the cook’s paper towels. Not quite the same, but for now it will work. He will be pissed when he finds out, but that just makes it better.”

Chuckling to himself, he set the towel aside and raised the blade once more to look at it. The sun that had made it through the leaves of the trees above glinted in random patterns along the steel. The breath of the surrounding area was calm, making the feel of his dearest weapon’s aura stand out. It was a gentle warmth, like drinking something hot on a cold day, Zoro could just feel the good intentions of Ichimonji spread throughout him.

“Oh so now what?”

“Now?” Moving over to the box at hand, Zoro picked up his uchiko ball. “Now we use this. It’s a powder that polishes the steel.”

“Oh! I have seen you use that before.” The little reindeer’s expression was energetic as always, even bouncing in the swordsman’s lap a little. “You just tap it along the blade right?”

“Yup.” Nodding, Zoro did just that, shivering slightly at the pleased swell that rushed over his skin from his weapon. The silver blade wasn’t egotistical like Kitetsu was, but even Ichimonji prided itself on being pristine and white. A noble blade for a noble cause needed to remain without blemishes on both the saya and steel itself.

The two lapsed into silence once more. A peacefulness fell over the entire area as Zoro almost mindlessly went through the motions of cleaning his katana. It wasn’t that he was any less careful, if anything he always seemed to take longer when working with Ichimonji, but he’d done it so many times, Zoro was pretty sure he could clean his blades in his sleep.

Chopper yawned and stretched in his lap, settling back against his stomach and chest. “I’m tired,” the little guy mumbled as Zoro finished with the uchiko ball and set it back in the box.

“Go ahead and sleep.” The swordsman glanced down at the little doctor, eyes drooping closed as he yawned again. “You stay up late last night?”

He half nodded against Zoro’s chest as the swordsman one handedly folded one of the paper towels so the clean sides were out and he could wipe down the blade once more. “I got worried about you when you didn’t come back.”

“I was fine.”

“I know that now.” The little reindeer snuggled closer and exhaled contently. “You’re so warm.”

“You’re covered in fur and I’m warm?”

“Mmm.” Nodding again, Chopper finally closed his eyes. “Sanji said you had to do something important and that you’d be gone a long time.”

“Oh yeah?” Raising an eyebrow, Zoro started at the guard of the blade and wiped down toward the tip. Only getting a slight hum in response, the swordsman shook his head and rolled his eye. Leave it to Chopper to fall asleep in the middle of a conversation. Poor little guy must have worn himself out worrying about him yesterday.

Ichimonji seemed to almost vibrate in his grasp, delighted at the display of family affection. Resisting the urge to roll his eye again, Zoro set the used cloth aside and picked out a clean one, before adding a few drops of oil to it. The silver blade’s aura shifted slightly, spreading out and humming in welcome. The swordsman looked up to see Luffy and Usopp walking toward him. “What’s up guys?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

Luffy’s grin was broad, showing his teeth as he laughed and hopped up on the other side of the bench. He was careful to not jostle any of Zoro’s katana or his cleaning supplies, Ichimonji’s thanks instanting translating in the way its aura seemed to move around them all. The swordsman verbally expressed this thanks with a quick grunt in his Captain’s general direction.

“We came to see what you were doing. Today’s your birthday, afterall. Aren’t you excited?”

Zoro shrugged. “I knew it was in a few days when we got here. Like I ever keep track of the date. Then you guys reminded me this morning at breakfast.”

“We’re gonna have a party Zoro!” Luffy almost shouted at them, causing Chopper to jump in his lap. The sniper snorted back a laugh as he noticed the little doctor, raising an eyebrow at Zoro, as if to say “yeah, some badass you are.”

Zoro shot him a glare before working the oil coated towel along the blade. Luffy was still babbling, something about cooks and cake and lots of meat; he wasn’t really listening. “There,” he interrupted, raising Ichimonji into the air and turning the blade slightly. Sun spots danced along the silver steel and he passed the blade from his right to his left hand so he could pick up the saya. “All done.”

“...and Sanji’s working on the party right now!” Luffy threw his hands in the air with a laugh. “We came to get you! So come on Zoro!”

“What about Chopper?” He shot Luffy a glare this time, but all the idiot did was laugh. With a huff, the swordsman slid his silver blade home, returning the weapon to the safety of its saya. It didn’t dim the radiating excitement from the blade at all. Zoro interacting with his crew was one of Ichimonji’s favorite things. The katana really enjoyed seeing him happy and always seemed excited when they had some time off to just hang out together.

“I’ll take him. He was so worried about you last night, poor guy.” The sniper stepped closer to Zoro as he leaned back, Ichimonji still in his grip. Carefully Usopp picked the little reindeer up, cradling him in his arms. With a low moan, he snuggled in against the sniper’s chest, allowing Zoro to stand.

“I gotta clean up Luffy, okay? Then I will head to your damned party.”

“Nope!” Pulling his hat off, his Captain slammed it down on Zoro’s head. “Not my party, Zoro; your party! Hurry up! There’s gonna be lots of meat!”

“Luffy!” Zoro snapped, jerking away from his Captain and adjusting the hat so he could see. Ichimonji’s aura flared again, almost laughing at the display between them all. Usopp was chuckling lowly as he turned back towards the ship. Still grinning, and now hatless, Luffy turned with Usopp as the two of them calmly walked off down the path toward the harbor.

Huffing, the swordsman watched them go, not allowing himself to smile till he was alone again with his katana. Taking Luffy’s hat off, he studied the woven fibers for a minute, letting Ichimonji’s protective aura swaddle him in its affection and love for him and the others. He couldn’t explain it, but Zoro always swore he could sense Kuina in moments like this as well and maybe he really could. Maybe she was here as well.

Slamming the hat back on his head, Zoro returned his katana to his side and cleaned up, placing all his supplies back in their little box and picking up his mess of paper towels. He took his time walking down to the Sunny, taking in the slight breeze and peacefulness of the island. Nami had outdone herself with this one, even if he never planned on telling her as much.

The smell of the cook’s food hit him long before he got to the ship, his stomach automatically growling and his mouth watering. Bastard’s food was always good, but he seemed to kick it up a notch on special occasions. No one was around that he could see though, not on the beach nor on deck. Shrugging it off, he walked along finally making it up the gangplank and into the men’s quarters to put his things away.

Opening the door back out onto deck revealed half the crew, who seriously weren’t there a moment before. Sometimes he hated how stealthy they could be. Ichimonji’s laugh mixed with theirs as he joined them and everyone made their way down to the sand. As a group, they walked along the beach, laughing and joking and carrying on till they rounded a long bend.

There was the shit cook, grill all set up and flitting about like a madman. There was a large fire already going with several coolers full of food and hopefully booze. Luffy snagged his hat back as he ran by to ask if the food was done yet, instantly distracting the blond as the rest of them fished drinks from the coolers and sat around the fire.

Brook stood near by, filling the bright afternoon with his music, taking requests from anyone who thought to yell something to him. There were several renditions of songs they grew up with, the children of East Blue having taught them to the musician years before. Everyone sang alone, laughing and drinking. Soon enough they were eating as well, a lavish feast laid out on the table for everyone to eat their fill from.

The cook graced Zoro with some civil conversation over the course of their meal and during a quiet moment even asked how his meditations had gone the day before. They’d had a decent conversation for a few minutes, even sharing a drink before the love cook’s attention was called away to attend to Luffy and the elaborate cake that had yet to make its appearance.

He received gifts in the little ways the crew always did things. He’d had the honor of wearing Luffy’s hat, Nami had handled him one of her ripe fruits from her trees and Usopp had sat and talked with him over dinner, reliving stories of when the crew was small. The cook’s been been in the form of his favorite meals, while Chopper promised not to worry over him so much the next time he was injured. Robin presented him with a new book, a detailed encyclopedia of swords from across the world while Franky informed him he’d finished that table and guard they had discussed on helping to make it easier for him to sharpen his katana during long treks at sea. All the while Brook kept the music light and cheerful, keeping the crew’s spirits high while they wasted away the afternoon and evening in the sands.

Chopper had climbed into Zoro’s lap once more when they presented him with a cake he’d never eat. All of them joking about how it was actually more for Luffy anyways, but he still needed to blow out the candles and make a wish before cutting the first piece as tradition stated. Rolling his eye and laughing, the swordsman did just that, suffering through a fork full from Chopper cause it was his birthday and he needed to have cake too.

Then things settled down once more, him and the little doctor flipping through his new book as he pointed out things to Chopper and drank from the bottle clutched in his hand. One by one the crew eventually started to yawn, conversations began to die off and they started to scatter once more. Luffy had passed out in the sand hours ago, but the girls had decided to walk back to their room. The cook and Franky had cleaned up the grill and the cooking things, making several trips back and forth from the Sunny until all signs of food had been swept away.

Usopp stayed and chatted with Zoro for a while once Chopper had fallen asleep in his lap once more. Brook had sat down to eat with the rest of them and had put away the violin in favor of low chatter around the raging fire. “Someone needs to keep an eye on it,” Zoro commented offhandedly as he gaze caught on the flames. He let his vision go unfocused as he watched, listening to the cracks and pops of the dry driftwood.

“I can stay here with them if you want to go and sleep in that bed again. I’m totally  not jealous by the way,” Usopp sniffed and rubbed at his nose.

“Uhuh,” Grinning at him, Zoro shook his head. “I can stay, I don’t mind. Chopper’s sound asleep and I’m not tired anyways.” Picking up his newest bottle of booze, he sloshed it around a bit. “Still have all this to drink.”

“Are you sure?” Yawning, the sniper stood. “I’ll go get some blankets at least. Luffy may be fine now but once that fire dies down, he will be cold. You’ll need one too.”

Shrugging he looked up at the sniper. He had stuffed his hands in his pockets and slumped his shoulders. “You look miserable. Go get some sleep Usopp.”

“Yeah, yeah. I am gonna bring you blankets first though. I will be back in a couple.” And he turned and walked away without another word.

Zoro watched him go for a moment, before turning back to the fire. He was comfortable and warm where he sat, tightening his grip on Chopper a little more. The reindeer groaned in his sleep and sighed deeply. Yeah, it had been a long couple days but it was totally worth it in the end. Surrounded by his nakama; there really wasn’t anything else Zoro could ask for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not happy with how this ended, but I ended up having to pretty much force myself to write this ending. My brain just sort of gave up on it at one point and what should have been really easy for me to write, (I really love Ichimonji) became a nightmare. I'm sorry its not up to par guys, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways.


End file.
